Poster
by Vathara
Summary: Good scientists never fudge the data. Never, ever, ever. ...But there's only so much room on a conference poster.


A/N: A missing scenebit before the second Ofunehiki. Because Science. And real scientists don't fudge the data. Ever. Choosing what data to present, though...

* * *

Standing in the doorway of Professor Mihashi's book and file-stuffed office, Tsumugu watched him bend over the draft of his presentation to the university committee. The professor was scowling in concentration, pen slashing out at a word here, a graph caption to clarify there.

Tsumugu cleared his throat. "Is there still time to insert some relevant new data?"

Professor Mihashi blinked, and looked up, loose brown hair waving as Tsumugu presented a fresh draft. "What's this?"

"A new source of information on the connection between the conditions around the sea villages and the surface weather shifts." Tsumugu kept his expression deadpan. "It could add greatly to our analysis of temperature and salinity shifts, and possibly help explain the unusual current patterns near seafolk towns."

 _Wait for it. Wait_...

Professor Mihashi read down. Blinked. Read again, finger by each word in turn. Looked up. "...You interviewed a mythological figure."

"Lord Uroko is a very real, very odd entity," Tsumugu said dryly. "I have eyewitness testimony of his involvement in the Ofunehiki, several sources who can attest to Uroko's appearance and words, and his own explanation of what causes the currents preventing entry to all the sea villages except Shioshishio. Including his conclusions on why there is now a current that allows passage into that village."

The professor frowned, reading past the mention of a myth to what Uroko had actually said. "He proposes here that part of marine phenomena are influenced by... an entity's emotions." Mihashi looked up, skeptical. "Even if this does provide a coherent explanation for some of our data..."

"Providing the necessary background for the committee would require considerable room on the poster and text in the thesis," Tsumugu agreed. "It would be necessary to put aside matters that still require more data. Such as a suspected physiological response to extreme drowning stress in certain individuals."

 _Leave Miuna and her ena out of the paper_.

Professor Mihashi sat up straight, hearing that unsaid plea. "Tsumugu, I've already told the committee I was looking into an unusual reaction in land and seafolk physiology."

"Because it seemed to be a unique example, and therefore in need of publication so other researchers could try to identify it," Tsumugu stated. "If, however, it's only uncommon, then the information from Lord Uroko is more important to the world."

Gaze flicking to the new pages, Mihashi sighed. "I sympathize with not wanting to draw unwelcome attention to a minor, but _uncommon_ requires more than one data point!"

Tsumugu lifted a hand, chest-high, and deliberately turned it to catch the light. "Now you have two."

Mihashi's expression was _priceless_.

* * *

"When I look into the future I fear for the faculty trying to poke holes in your thesis defense." Mihashi adjusted the focus on his desktop microscope. "You'll post up some innocent equation or illustrative slide, the professors will smile and nod, and the fishermen in the audience will be trying not to snicker." He frowned at the tiny scrap of membrane in the slide. "About fifty-five microns. Thin, but based on Miss Shiodome's samples, that's definitely healthy ena. When did you say this happened?"

Tsumugu lifted his elbow out of a bowl of salt water perched on a file cabinet, checking how the crack in the gleaming layer was healing together. So far, it looked as it should. Seafolk got their share of scrapes in and out of water, too. "The day I was packing up our equipment. Someone went into the water. I went after them."

"Someone?" Mihashi gave him a curious look, that turned a little wry at Tsumugu's deadpan. "The lot of you really are complicated, aren't you."

But the professor didn't push, leaning back in his office chair with a thoughtful expression. "This was your _second_ drowning."

"Yes," Tsumugu agreed.

"Meaning our tentative hypothesis on the proximal cause of Miss Shidome's ena expression is missing something," Mihashi reflected. "And we should definitely take the time to interview witnesses to the two events to determine what other factors might have affected the situation, before we could even consider presenting this to the committee. It would be unethical to do otherwise, especially with two minors involved."

Tsumugu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tsumugu." The professor sat up, serious. "Do you want people to know about this?"

"It'll be obvious sooner or later," Tsumugu said steadily. Lifted his wrist to show his diving watch. "Grandfather advised me to set an alarm until I can tell when I'm getting dry." A slight shrug. "Miuna's family... they're going through enough right now, with Hikari and the others trying to deal with missing the last five years. If I'm your subject - I can handle it."

"Given that even if drowning is not the cause, it's a common environmental factor, I have to admit I don't want _anyone_ to handle it," Mihashi sighed. "Not yet. I want to analyze everything we can before someone tries to do this deliberately. Because once word gets out... someone will."

Tsumugu nodded. He liked to think he wouldn't have been that foolish, even at Hikari's age. But if he hadn't been able to run off and live with his grandfather, if he'd been shut away from the sea in a city and longing all of his life...

 _If there'd been any chance - I might have been desperate enough to try it_. "I know someone who will want to try. If we can do it safely."

Mihashi brightened. "Of course! Mrs. Shiodome's son should have just as good a chance at developing ena-" He cut himself off. "How on earth would you drown someone _safely?_ "

"Go into the water from a boat stocked with emergency revival equipment, with several seafolk assistants and air supplies going below," Tsumugu stated. "So if it's obvious the ena is not forming in the first minute, we can start supplying air immediately."

"You've thought about this." Mihashi huffed a laugh. "Of course you have."

"We should analyze what we know first," Tsumugu said seriously. "Hikari found Miuna in the water, but he was right behind me when I dove. He saw it happen." He met the professor's gaze. "Could you come back to Oshiooshi and talk to him? We're planning to hold another Ofunehiki."

Mihashi smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."


End file.
